Teaching literary skills is one of the most important aspects of any high school curriculum. It can help students develop critical thinking and analysis skills, which will allow them to better understand complex texts.
This is a time-consuming process, and there are many different ways to go about it. However, there are a few tried and true methods that can make it much easier on you and your students.
1. Make reading a habit
A reading habit can be beneficial to students, boosting their analytical skills, increasing their vocabulary, and strengthening their language fluency. It also can help them develop a love for learning that will make their learning experience more enjoyable and easier.
Research has shown that children who regularly read for pleasure have higher social-emotional well-being, stronger vocabulary and language fluency, and a willingness to discuss books with others.
In order to cultivate a reading habit, you must find a way to relate it with everyday life and set a standard for yourself and your students. You can do this by setting reading times, creating a list of books to read, or finding a quiet place to read.
2. Read aloud to your students
Reading aloud to students is one of the most powerful ways to engage and motivate them. Whether you read to a class of kindergartners or to older students, reading aloud helps build literacy skills that will benefit them for a lifetime!
Students listen on a higher language level than they can read, so reading aloud makes complex ideas more accessible and exposes them to vocabulary and language patterns that are not part of everyday speech. This, in turn, makes them more able to understand the structure of books when they are read independently (Fountas & Pinnell 1996).
To keep students engaged with the book, make sure you stop at strategic spots to explain your thinking, define words that they may not know, and ask clarifying questions. This allows your students to make text-to-self connections and connect what you read with their own lives.
3. Give them a purpose for reading
One of the best ways to teach reading skills is to give students a purpose for what they are reading. It will keep them on track and help them focus their attention on key concepts in the text.
Teaching this skill will also build students’ confidence and independence as readers. They will be able to take more control over their understanding and think more deeply about their task, their purpose, and their audience.
In addition, this approach will also allow them to develop their writing capabilities. Many industries and fields value people who can write effectively, and reading comprehension is an important first step in this process.
4. Teach them to use their voices while reading
Voice is an important skill for reading. It helps them connect with the story.
You can teach them to use their voices while reading by using intonation and inflection while you read a passage together. For example, raise your voice when someone is scared and lower it when they are happy.
Teaching students to use their voices while reading will help them understand the story better and will support their fluency.
Teach students to interact with their inner voice while they read by stopping them at different parts and asking them what their interacting voice was saying. This will encourage them to make a movie in their mind, ask questions, notice cool words and phrases, imagine the setting, create voices for their characters, etc.
5. Teach them to write
Students today often struggle to write effectively for a variety of reasons, but many of them are not their fault. They have grown up in a world of short communications—snaps, texts, memes—and have not had the opportunity to practice long-form communication skills.
In order to build student confidence, make writing part of your regular curriculum and give them plenty of opportunities to show off their work.